For the Fun of It: India Past Review
By Ashley H (Integrated Marketing Communications, Ithaca College) for
Study Abroad Programs in India
I learned more about tolerance, not to take anything for granted, and the open-mindedness to try new things
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Workload was pretty light, nothing strenous, often just tedious. My professors taught the American way but it was pretty lax adherence. The only class where critical thinking was key and the workload was intense was Indian Socio-Economic Development. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very knowledgeable of how India's systems works. When problems arise, administration fixes them immediately. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was treated like a daughter. I felt safe at night and everything was provided for me. The neighborhood was nice but the roads were pretty beat up. Class was pretty far (like 15-20 minute commute) but it could have been farther. |
| * Food: |
They will feed you until you pop! (But I mean that as a good thing) You're never hungry with them. Most families are vegetarian or at least at home they are. Get your meat-fix outside the house. The veggies are very tasty though and it's hard to remember that there is no meat. My host family really responded to things I liked to eat and fed me my favorites all the time. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The beach in Goa, ordering food from the seaside restaurant. I ate shark and a flaming banana. My friends tried live ants (which have a lemony flavor). The Himalayas, waking up and seeing the mountains everyday. The desert, Rajastan, climbing a giant hill at sunrise. My sari, a gorgeous orange confection, which I still have. "Cities of Delhi", a class, every field trip we took around Delhi was awesome, especially Chandi Chowk and Tughlakabad Fort. (The funny thing is that most tourist don't visit the second monument, only a couple of student tours. So the place has no security and you just climb all over the ruins.) |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
The as so nice they took me to the doctor to get a new prescription. Not a long wait at all. Very chaotic at the clinic compared to back home but it works. Going out a night is fun but for women I would recommend you go out in groups. Men tend to think American women are loose. So proceed with caution, but you can still have a good time. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Most of the $200 I took out each week went to transportation to school and back. The rest went to clothes, food, and travel (in that order) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Flights in India cost a lot. Take the train or book in advance. I didn't realize how I spent on auto rickshaws until I added it up. But you spend less when travel with a buddy so you can split the cost. Keep your change whenever possible for rickshaw. Use bigger bills on everything else (1000 Rupees is hard to break for small stores. Big stores might take credit cards) Make sure to call your bank before you leave so your credit doesn't get frozen the first time you use an ATM. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Geeta-ji, our professor, as well as my host family were native speakers of Hindi. I used Hindi everyday in buying things and getting to and from school, and general conversation. Most of the people I spoke with knew some English. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Someone who has never been out of the country and doesn't do much traveling would be good for this program. It allows freedom to explore but you do have lots of support to fall back on. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Cities of Delhi |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Harini Narayanan |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | A favorite of mine! I learned so much about India's history and the field trips were awesome and breath-taking. Harini is a wealth of knowledge and she has a story for everything. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Nope. |
